1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastener for the use in constructing posts for furniture, or similar structures. In particular, the present invention provides the strength of a longitudinally-oriented threaded fastener while allowing for adjustment to align the lateral sides of the posts.
2. Background
In the prior art, it is well known to pack and transport furniture in a disassembled state in order to reduce the packaging volume and to reduce transportation expense. However, this requires the consumer to assemble the furniture, or to incur added expense to have the furniture assembled after purchase. This requires the assembly procedure to be straightforward and simple for a broad range of consumers. More important, however, in the assembly of some furniture, particularly bunkbeds which are designed to hold sleeping children several feet above the floor, it is important that the resulting assembly be fool-proof. While longitudinally-oriented threaded fasteners can provide very reliable strong connections between adjacent portions forming a post for such furniture as a bunkbed, such fasteners may not allow for the satisfactory alignment of the lateral sides of the posts. In other words, when portions of a post of rectangular cross section are connected end-on-end to form a post, it is aesthetically important for the lateral sides to align without sacrificing the strength of the resulting post.